Ron Sexsmith's Long Player Late Bloomer Due in March

Almost a year ago, journeyman Toronto, ON songwriter Ron Sexsmith revealed that he had finished recording his latest album and that it would be out in 2010. The title, Long Player Late Bloomer, was revealed soon after, but the release date remained in limbo. Now, the songwriter has finally officially announced that the record will be out on March 1 via Warner.

The album was recorded with big-name producer Bob Rock, who is best known for recording hard rock bands like Metallica, Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe. His collaboration with Sexsmith was recently featured in the documentary Love Shines, which premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival last month. As his backing band, Sexsmith recruited an impressive cast that includes guitarist Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney), bassist Paul Bushnell (Elton John), keyboardist Jamie Edwards (Aimee Mann) and drummer Josh Freese (Devo, Nine Inch Nails).

Like the film, the album's first single is called "Love Shines." It will be be available to download on iTunes starting November 9. You can stream it now over at Sexsmith's official site.

Back in February, Sexsmith told the Calgary Sun, "I don't sound like a fish out of water or anything, but it's definitely a little more polished than my other albums. I've put a lot of work into these songs; they're some of the best songs I've ever written."